Six weeks after the former leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP) Harold Lovell tendered his resignation, speculation has been rife regarding when the party will host its convention to officially elect his replacement.
Yesterday, the party’s interim leader Jamale Pringle told Observer that the convention will likely take place in June.
“The general council will determine when will be the convention but I can tell you this much, we are looking for a convention in June and when the time comes, we will see what it is,” Pringle said.
To date, no confirmation has been made concerning who else plans to throw his or her hat into the ring for the leadership alongside Pringle.
But although many predict that the race to the leadership will be a controversial one, Pringle assured that the UPP will remain united in its cause.
“What I will tell you is that you will continue to see a strong United Progressive Party and that is our intention going forward.
“A convention is not supposed to be divisive and we will ensure that we do whatever it takes as an organisation to have a smooth convention and whomever becomes the leader will have the full support of the entire organisation,” Pringle added.
Shortly after the recent general election, Lovell – who served as the party’s leader from 2015 following the retirement of former prime minister Baldwin Spencer – announced his resignation in a statement to the media, which he advised took effect from January 20.
Pringle, the deputy leader at the time, was returned as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the All Saints East and St Luke constituency following the January 18 polls.
Lovell missed out by six votes in his bid to retake the St John’s City East seat that had sent him to the House of Representatives in 2004 and 2009.
In 2004, as the MP for St John’s City East, he was appointed Minister of Tourism, Aviation, Culture and the Environment.
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In 2009, Lovell became Minister of Finance, the Economy and Public Administration.
The 67-year-old attorney was elected political leader of the UPP during the party’s 2015 convention after defeating Richard Lewis for the position, and has been the force behind the rebuilding of the UPP since it lost office in 2014. (OBSERVER By Newsco)
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